Tobacco-pouch.



M. A. SHUMARD & M. A SHUMARD, JR.

TOBACCO POUCH. APPLICATION mm 061.21.1915.

1 ,196,599. Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

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MALNOR A. SHUMARD AND MALNOR A. SHUMARD, JR., OF BOEENE, TEXAS.

TOBACCO-POUCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

Application filed. October 21, 1915. Serial No. 57,140.

a maximum capacity for tobacco; Whose shape is such that it exactly fits the hand,

thus facilitating its use; which shall have a discharge end or mouth of such shape and size that the tobacco Will readily pour therefrom yet which will not admit of a too rapid pouring or overflowing discharge of tobacco; whose cover is specially constructed to provide a pouring spout or extension whereby the tobacco may be conveniently and certainly directed into the pipe or the paper of a cigaretteto be. rolled and the surplus tobacco may be quickly and certainly returned to the pouch; which when not in. use is securely closed in substantiallyair-tight fashion; which may be used with the greatest ease and facility, its manipulation requiring only one hand;.which is specially constructed whereby the special shape of its discharge end or mouth and of its combined cover and pouring spout shall be permanently maintained, notwithstanding the measurable flexibility of the material of which the pouch is made; which is specially constructed whereby it cannot be distorted from its substantially flat shape consequent to pressure applied at the sides thereof, except at its discharge end, and then, only in the event that its cover is openedto provide a pouring spout; which is exceedingly strong and durable, not being liable to un-, due wear or breakage and being capable of satisfactory use for a period of some years; which is particularly neat and attractive in its appearance, its shape being intrinsically ornamental and adapting the pouch for a variety of extrinsic ornamentation; and

which, withal, is of the simplest possible construction and may be manufactured at verylow cost.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated, in the accompanying drawings,- wherein Figure 1 is a perspective View, showing the pouch open, as in use. Fig. 2 is a front elevation, the pouch being shown as closed. Fig. 3 is a top plan view, the pouch being shown as closed. Fig. 4 is a vertical central section on the line 4- 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line 55 of Fig. 2. Fig. 61s an elevation showing the discharge mouth or end of the pouch, with the cover open to provide a pouring extension or spout. Fig. 7 is a side elevation showing the pouch closed.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The pouch is made in two halves or companion members 1 and 2, arranged face to face and secured to one another by a line of stitching 3 adjacent the'margins of said members. The member 2, for convenience termed the lower member, (Fig. 1 of the drawing being considered) has integral therewith an extension 1 which normally closes the discharge end or mouth 5, thereby constituting the cover of the pouch, but which, when open, provides a pouring spout as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 6.

The members 1 'and2 have what may be termed a pear shape, being of least width at the mouth5, of greater width along the bottom of the pouch, and of greatest width along a line about one-third from the bottom of the distance between said bottom and the mouth 5. In the embodiment disclosed, the edges of the members 1 and 2 are straight adjacent the bottom of the pouch but curve outward and upward (Fig. 2 of the drawing being considered) from the bottom to the imaginary line of greatest width and are tapering or converging from the ends of said line to the discharge end or mouth 5.

The members 1 and 2 are of somewhat dished form to provide for the requisite capacity. The line of stitching 3 exactly conforms to the marginal outline of the pouch but is located at a distance of about an eighth of an inch from the edge of the pouch in order to provide marginal portions which fit exactly against one another and are preferably cemented together, thereby forming a two-ply continuous marginal reinforcement 6.

The members 1 and 2 are formed with permanent creases 7 and 8, respectively, which extend from points located centrally of the discharge mouth 5 and terminate at pointslocated above the line of greatest width of the pouch, their terminations being vaguely defined in consequence of the gradual merging of the creases with the plain or uncreased portions of the pouch members A similar crease 9 is formed centrally of the extension 4, continuing throughout the length of said extension, and forming, in effect, a continuation of the crease 8. The permanence of the creases 7 8 and 9 may be secured in a number of ways. Preferably, however, these creases are made permanent by moistening the material (leather). and by subjecting said material, while wet or damp, to the action of a roller die which forms the creases. This method is preferred because of its simplicity and further because it involves no weakening of the material.

The extension 4, as stated above, serves a.

dual function, normally constituting the cover of the pouch, but when open providing a pouring spout. Said extension is foldable along a line taken transversely of the member 2 and nearly coinciding with the transverse upper edge of the member 1, the transverse line along which the extension 4 is foldable and the said transverse upper edge of the member 1 providing the bounds of the discharge mouth 5. The extension 4 folds against the member 1, as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, and is secured in its folded relation by suitable fastening devices, preferably balland-socket fastenings 10, of which the socket members 10 are carried by the extension and the ball members 10 are carried by the member 1. When the extension 4 is folded to serve as the cover of the pouch the crease 7 of the member 1 has a nesting fit in the crease 9 of the extension 4 and the portions of said extension at the sides of its crease 9 uniformly contact substantially throughout their area with the underlying portions f the member 1, which relation, in conjunction with the substantial coincidence of the transverse line of folding'on the extension 4 and the upper transverse edge of the member 1, assures that the extension 4 shall eifect a'substantially air-tight closure of the pouch, the security of such closure being provided for by the fastenings 10. In this way, the tobacco will be kept in good condition and prevented from becoming too dry and from leaking out into the pocket in which the pouch is carried. This uniform contact of the extension 4 with the underlying surface of the member 1 is clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

In using the pouch to pour tobacco into the pipe or the paper of a cigarette to be rolled, the closure 4 is extended to form a substantially straight continuation of the member 2, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, and when thus extended, by virtue of its crease 9, has a substantial V-shape in cross section whereby it constitutes an eflicient and relatively stiff pouring spout. When the part 4 is thus extended to form a relatively stiff pouring spout, tobacco is readily discharged from the pouch through the discharge end or mouth 5 which has a substantial diamond or lozenge shape and is proportioned to admit of a reasonably free flow of tobacco along the pouring spout but which, having its width restricted relatively to the width of the rest of the pouch will not permit of a too free or overflowing discharge of the tobacco.

The discharge of tobacco along the pouring spout is facilitated by applying pressure to the sides of the pouch adjacent the mouth 5 and by tapping one side of the pouch with one of the fingers of the hand by which the pouch is held. When pressure is applied at the sides of the discharge mouth 5, the said discharge mouth is deformed or distorted, that is, its central transverse dimension is diminished and its central vertical dimension is increased; stated otherwise, when pressure is applied at the sides of the discharge mouth 5, the distance between the sides of said mouth diminishes while the distance between the creases 7 and 8 of the members 1 and 2 is increased. The spout 4 participates in such distortion or deformation of the mouth 5 and the angle of its sides relative to one another is decreased as the pouring spout is made narrower and is increased as the pouring spout is permitted to widen.

In using the pouch, the hand is placed palm downward over the member 1 and the thumb is applied against one side of the discharge end or mouth 5 while the four fingers are ranged along the opposite side of the pouch, the first finger being placed at the side of the discharge mouth5 opposite to that engaged by the thumb and the pressure upon said discharge mouth being produced by the thumb and the first finger. The pouch, owing to its pear shape, has an exact and secure fit in the hand and its use is thus greatly facilitated.

When the extension 4 is closed to provide a cover for the pouch, as above explained, any distortion of the pouch by pressure applied at the sides thereof is prevented and, therefore, the pouch when fitted within the pocket will always retain its substantially fiat shape. Consequently, the pouch can only be distorted when the part l is extended to provide a pouring spout, and even in such a case, it can only be distorted at its mouth or throughout the area in which the creases 7 and S are formed.

The material of which it is preferred to make the pouch is leather of relatively stiff and heavy character, for example, leather having a thickness of approximately onesixteenth of an inch. The marginal reinforcement 6 effectively protects the pouch against wear and insures the permanence of the stitching 3 by which the members 1 and 2 are joined together. \Vhile the members 1 and 2 might be connected in various ways, it is preferred to connect them by stitching, as shown, not only because of the secure character of the connection thus established, but because the stitching does not weaken the pouch and adds materially to-its ap pearance, the line of stitching being intrinsically ornamental. Furthermore, the color of the threads of the stitching may be selected either to form an effective contrast with the color of the leather or to harmonize with the color of the leather, according to choice.

The pouch, owing to its substantially fiat character, may be carried in the pocket of the coat or trousers without causing any undue bulging of the pocket and without any tendency to interfere with the shape or fit of the garment, especially in the case of a coat. Moreover, when the pouch is shaped as shown it has no projecting corners which are liable to wear holes in the pocket or which by catching against the pocket might interfere with the removal of the pouch.

When the pouch is filled with tobacco there will be, as is obvious, an outward pres sure applied against the inner faces of the members 1 and 2 but the effect of such pressure will be only to promote the permanence of the creases 7, 8 and 9 and the substantially air-tight closure of the pouch by the extension 4.

The outline of the pouch is such that when.

pouch, while free, will not be an overflowing discharge, such as will cause loss or waste of tobacco.

In discharging tobacco from the pouch the pouring spout is held directly over the bowl of the pipe or the paper of the cigarette to be rolled and passes all the tobacco discharged directly into such bowl or paper. When the bowl of the pipe has been filled, the pouch is turned into a vertical position and any tobacco remaining in the spout 4 flows back into the pouch prior to the closing of the part 4 against the member 1. In this way, all the surplus tobacco is returned to the pouch without any conscious effort on the part of the user of the pouch and there is no loss or waste of tobacco nor is there any lodgment of tobacco in the part 4 which interferes with its effective closure against the member 1.

The pouch, by virtue of its outline, which is substantially fiat in character, and the regular and positive convex curvature of the external faces of the members 1 and 2 has an intrinsic ornamental appearance; and its outline and general shape, moreover, adapt it for various applied or extrinsic features of ornamentation.

The relatively stiff pouring spout 4: not only facilitates the discharge of tobacco into the bowl of a pipe or the paper of a cigarette but it also facilitates the filling of the pouch from the can or tin or other original tobacco container.

Where there is wind which is apt to scatter the tobacco as it is being poured, especially if the tobacco is of the light flaky variety, the pouch may be used in a position inverted from the position of Fig. 1, part 1 by virtue of its crease 7 providing a pouring spout, and the extension 4 serving as a shield to prevent the tobacco from being scattered by the wind. The use of the pouch in this manner is, however, by no means as convenient as the normal manner of use described, and is resorted to, if at all, only in the event of wind, as pointed out.

Having fully described our invention, we claim 1. A tobacco pouch of substantially flat form composed of companion members arranged face to face and secured adjacent their margins and throughoi'lt their marginal extent, the pouch having a discharge mouth whose width is the minimum width of the pouch and having its sides tapering toward said discharge mouth, one of the members having an extension adjacent said discharge mouth constructed, when folded over against the other member, to form a closure for the pouch and, when extended, to form a pouring spout.

2. A tobacco pouch of substantially flat form composed of companion members arranged face to face and secured adjacent their margins and throughout their marginal extent, the pouch having a discharge mouth whose width is the minimum width of the pouch and having its sides tapering toward said discharge mouth, the pouch also having a continuous marginal reinforce ment, one of the members having an extension adjacent said discharge mouth constructed, when folded over against the other member, to form a closure for the pouch, and when extended, to form a pouring spout.

3. A tobacco pouch of substantially flat form composed of companion members arranged face to face and secured by stitching adjacent their margins and throughout their marginal extent, the pouch having a discharge mouth whose width is the minimum width of the pouch and having its sides tapering toward said discharge mouth, the pouch also having its marginal portions outside of the line of stitching secured against one another to provide a continuous marginal reinforcement, one of the members having an extension adjacent said discharge mouth constructed, when folded over against the other member to form a closure for the pouch, and, when extended, to form a pouring spout.

4. A tobacco pouch of substantially flat form comprising two companion members arranged face to face and secured adjacent their margins and throughout their marginal extent, the pouch having a discharge mouth whose width is the minimum width of the pouch and having its sides tapering towardsaid discharge mouth, one of the members having an extension adjacent said discharge mouth, constructed, when folded over against the other member, to form a closure for the pouch, and, when extended, to form a pouring spout, the members having permanent creases through a fractional part of their depth extending from points along said discharge mouth and the extension having a similar crease in line with the crease of the'member with which the extension is formed and which, when the extension is folded, nests with the crease of the other member.

5. A tobacco pouch of substantially flat form comprising two companion members arranged face to face and secured adj acent their margins and throughout their marginal extent, the pouch having a discharge mouth whose width is the minimum width of the pouch and having its sides tapering toward said discharge mouth, one of the members having an extension adjacent said discharge mouth, constructed, when folded over against the other member, to form a closure for the pouch, and when extended, to form a pouring spout, the members having permanent creases through a fractional part of their depth extending from points central of said discharge mouth and the extension having a similar central crease in line with the crease of the member with which the extension is formed and which, when the extension is folded nests with the crease of the other member and devices for fastening said extension in folded position located at opposite sides of the nesting creases.

6. A tobacco pouch of substantially fiat form comprising two companion members arranged face to face and secured by stitching adjacent their margins and throughout their marginal extent, the pouch having a discharge mouth whose width is the minimum width of the pouch and having its sides tapering toward said discharge mouth, the marginal portions of said members beyond the line of stitching being cemented together to provide a continuous marginal reinforcement, one of the members having an extension adjacent said discharge mouth, constructed, when folded over against the other member, to form a closure for the pouch, and when extended to form a pouring spout, the members having permanent creases through a fractional part of their depth extending from points central of said discharge mouth and the extension having a similar central crease in line with the crease of the member with which the extension is formed and which, when the extension is folded, nests with the crease of the other member.

7. A tobacco pouch of substantially flat form comprising two companion members arranged face to face and secured adjacent their margins and throughout their marginal extent, the pouch having a discharge mouth whose width is the minimum width of the pouch and having its sides tapering toward said discharge mouth, the pouch also having a part formed with one member foldable to constitute a closure for the pouch and extendible to constitute a pouring spoilt.

8. A tobacco pouch of substantially flat form comprising two companion members arranged face to face and secured adjacent their margins and throughout their marginal extent, one of the members having an extension adjacent the discharge end of the spout which may be folded over against the other member to provide a closure for the pouch and which may be extended to provide a pouring spout, the members having permanent creases extending through a fractional part of their depth from central points of said discharge mouth and the extension having a similar permanent crease which alines with the crease of the member with which the extension is formed, and, when the extension is folded, nests with the crease of the other member.

9. A tobacco pouch of substantially flat form comprising tWo companion members arranged face to face and secured by stitching adjacent their margins and throughout their marginal extent and having marginal portions beyond the line of stitching secured to one another to provide a continuous marginal reinforcement, one of the members having an extension adjacent the discharge end of the spout Which may be folded over against the other member to provide a closure for the pouch and which may be extended to provide a pouring spout, the members having permanent creases extending through a fractional part of their depth from central points of said discharge mouth and the extension having a similar permanent crease Which alines With the crease of the member With Which the extension is formed, and. When the extension is folded, nests With the crease of the other member.

In testimony Whereof We have hereunto set our hands in presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

MALNOR A. SHUMARD. MALNOR A. SHUMARD, J R. Witnesses:

J. B. LENRIGHT, WV. M. LENRIGHT.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

